The Keepers: Ethan

His brows lifted. “Right. And?”

“I haven’t gone inside yet.” She swatted his chest. “You have no right to follow me, you ass!”

“I have every right. Especially when I think you’re bullshitting me.”

She climbed off him, hating how transparent she’d become with him. “I had a dream that made me want to check on Mason.”

It was the truth. Kind of.

“What about the other night?” He rose, watching her. “Also a dream?”

“It’s none of your business, Ethan.” She tried to push past him, but he caught her arm and drew her back to him. Her body collided with his, a barrier of broad shoulders and hard muscles.

“This is my witch, my home,” he murmured. “My business. And you shouldn’t be in the forest alone, Jenna. It’s too dangerous.”

The cry of frustration erupted before she could reel it in and she shoved him away. “Everything’s dangerous, Ethan. Everything! I’m so damn sick of it!”

She snapped her mouth shut, shocked at her outburst.

Silence stretched between them and when he stepped forward instinct had her taking a step back, but he kept coming until she was backed against a tree.

Awareness surged through her. The air caught in her lungs. She could feel him, smell him. His strength and masculine power immobilised her as he pressed forward, using his body to anchor hers.

She lifted her chin in quiet defiance, meeting his gaze, refusing to reveal how she felt. Cornered. Breathless. All too aware of the heat and man that had her pinned to a damn tree.

“We live in a permanent sense of fear, Jenna,” he said quietly, his words a rumble of sexiness that made her heart skip a beat. “I despise it as much as you do. But the only thing that keeps me from going mad is knowing I’m not alone.”

The dim light from the discarded flashlight highlighted his features in a shimmer of orange.

Something calm and enticing washed over her. Her ability to breathe had totally escaped her.

His fingers brushed away a lock of hair from her face, his touch gentle, despite the soft scrape of his calloused palm. “At some point you need to realise you’re not alone either, Jen. Knowing that makes all the crap more bearable.”

“Ethan –”

His eyes narrowed. “I get that you’re secretive about your past and your time with Hazel.” She looked away, but his fingers caught her chin, bringing her back to him. “That’s okay. But you’re not alone. As long as you know that.”

She couldn’t speak, the words trapped in her throat, emotion rolling through her in ways she usually avoided. All she could do was nod.

He stayed that way for a moment longer, simply looking at her, stroking her hair, his eyes flashing with something she couldn’t quite define.

With a small smile, he withdrew. “My brothers are near,” he said, his voice gruff. He cleared his throat and looked away, searching the forest. “Let’s check on Mason and get the hell out of here. I hate this place.”

CHAPTER SIX (#ulink_10cb9460-cd3c-5182-8614-d9169567daf2)

The sound of clashing sticks and steady breathing permeated the quiet morning air. The Bennett brothers’ daily training was in full swing. It was warm, the forest streaked with gentle rays of sunlight that filtered through the trees.

Ethan and Jenna circled each other, both using long sticks to either attack or defend in a whirl of swift, steady movements.

The dance was smooth, rapid, focused. Tainted with an underlying frustration that seemed to have upped a notch this morning. A result of circumstances or the fact that he’d followed her?

I came to check on Mason. Right.

He had no reason to doubt her, but instinct told him she hadn’t been entirely honest. There was more. To her excuse. To her. He knew that, but the woman kept a Great Wall of China between herself and everyone else and he wasn’t sure if he had the energy or the inclination to break through.

Because breaking through walls meant caring. And that stirred up heaps of crap he usually avoided.

She mirrored his movements perfectly, making it impossible for him to gain an inch of ground. She shielded his every blow, constantly engaging with an overbearing force that had him more on the defensive than offensive.

Adrenaline soared, their bodies sleeked in thin layers of sweat, and they fought on, breathless, determined, the practice session as thrilling as it was necessary.

Jenna used her stick to field his next hit, retaliating with one of her own. He moved, but not fast enough, the weapon connecting him on the shoulder with a powerful force, missing the side of his head by an inch.

“Whoa, Jenna!” He broke away, frowning at her as he rubbed his shoulder. “Rule of combat practice – attack the aggression, not the aggressor.”

“You should be defending your red zone, Ethan. You left yourself wide open.” She poked his chest with the stick.

His hand shot up, clutching her weapon. Grinning, he gave a hard tug, taking pleasure in the way she launched forward.

In a swift movement, he had her pinned beneath him, the stick at her throat.

He raised a brow. “Wide open?”

With a loud grunt, her knee jerked upward, dislodging his hold on her. She was on her feet in a flash, smiling. Panting, she backed off, lowering her weapon, but sprang into action the moment Ethan’s brother, Declan, pounced.

Stick raised, she swung around and ducked as Declan charged. He wielded his own stick, bulldozing full steam ahead with his surprise attack.

Their fight was swift, their bodies moving between the trees with breathless pace.

“Wow, Declan, frustrated much?” Jenna moved around him in a steady flow of fancy footwork, easily defending his blows with her own.

“Scared of some friendly banter, Blondie?”

She lowered her body, ducking his next attack, smiling with satisfaction when her stick connected with his legs. She pulled back, circling him, a mild grin breaking free. “Is that what this is? Friendly?”

“Of course.”

“Right.”

They stood staring at each other, breathlessly assessing the distance and range of the weapons between them.

Simultaneously, they charged.

Sticks clashed, louder and with added hostility as they performed a perfect mirroring drill, anticipating each other’s moves with ease.

Ethan glanced at Archer, watching the tussle quietly, arms folded across his chest. His oldest brother exerted a permanent control and calm that Declan lacked. They were so different in so many ways.

Declan lunged for Jenna, releasing a growl of frustration. Ethan frowned at the scent of aggression that lined their fight – a fight born out of need for building strength and endurance.